


Soon You'll Get Better

by accelgors



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst without a happy ending, Established Relationship, Illness, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 03:16:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21246575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/accelgors/pseuds/accelgors
Summary: He'll get better soon.Because he has to.





	Soon You'll Get Better

It started on what seemed like a perfectly normal day. That’s how it always goes, isn’t it?

Gabriel and Jack were sitting at the table eating breakfast. It was about 9:00AM. Jack had made waffles. Pre-packaged ones, obviously. Letting him cook anything more complicated than that was just asking for a disaster. 

“Hey, these are actually pretty good,” Jack said. Seeing him proud of himself was kind of charming in its own way, even if it was for something dumb.

“You made them in the toaster,” Gabriel pointed out. 

Jack rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome, ‘honey’.” Gabriel laughed.

Jack finished eating and started to get up. While he was lifting himself off the chair, he started to stumble a bit. “Walk much?” Gabriel teased.

To Gabriel’s surprise, Jack didn’t respond with his own joke. Instead, his stumbling got worse, until he walked backwards and knocked the chair onto the floor. Something was wrong.

“Hey, you OK?” Gabriel asked. Seconds later, Jack started to fall backwards. Gabriel’s enhanced speed was a blessing here, because he managed to get behind Jack fast enough to catch him. “Jack?” He started to shake him a bit, but Jack was unconscious. 

This was bad. A thousand possible conclusions ran through Gabriel’s mind, each of them more terrifying than the last. What if he was sick? What if he hurt himself? What if it was already too late? 

After trying to rouse Jack a bit more, he knew that it wasn’t going to work. He had no sophisticated medical training, but he was pretty sure that this was a really bad sign. He needed to get Jack to the hospital. Trying not to panic, he lifted Jack (enhanced strength really was helpful) and took him to the car. This would probably look really strange to anyone watching. Normally he would find that funny, but all he could think of now was how terrifying this was.

While he moved Jack into the back seat, he tried to wake him again, but had no success. Would he be able to sit up?

Finally, though, Jack stirred a bit. Oh, thank God. 

As Gabriel helped him sit up and put his seatbelt on (he really didn’t need Jack getting even more injured than he already might be), he tried to talk to him. “Jack, you OK?”

“Huh?” Jack was obviously still woozy, because his words were slurred. “‘m fine.” Even now, he wouldn’t let go of his damn pride. 

Luckily, the hospital was only a few minutes away. All he had to do was keep Jack semi-conscious until then. “Stay with me, OK?” He used his best nurturing voice, which wasn’t something he had ever been very good at. 

Jack stared at him for a moment. “Mhm.” 

No time to question him. Who knows how long this bit of consciousness would last? Gabriel’s stomach turned at the thought of Jack falling over in the seat. The two seats in the back were connected to each other, so if he fell to the side, he’d at least have a cushioned landing.

Gabriel started the car and drove as fast as he could. Fuck the speed limit, he had more important things to worry about right now. The cops could suck his dick. 

Maybe he shouldn’t have insulted his waffles.

\--

And that was how Gabriel ended up in the waiting room of the hospital. He had hovered over the doctors as they took him into the area for patients, but eventually they had made him go back and wait. Nervousness ate at him. He hated leaving Jack in other people’s hands. It was hard for him to trust them to give him the care he deserved. _ I swear to God, if they fuck this up… _

After what felt like an agonizing amount of time, they let Gabriel talk to the doctors.

Gabriel looked at the doctor. 

_ God, I know you probably don’t like me much, but please let him get through this. _

“Is he awake?”

The doctor nodded. Gabriel almost cheered aloud, but her gaze didn’t seem nearly as hopeful as his. “Yes, but we ran some tests, and he seems to have long-term traumatic brain injuries. Has he experienced frequent head injuries?”

Gabriel didn’t like where this was going. “Yeah. He was military for a long time.” That didn’t really explain the half of it, but it hopefully gave her an idea.

She hummed. “The repetitive head trauma seems to have caused severe harm to his brain structures. It’s a wonder how he didn’t end up here a long time ago.” Well, it wasn’t, really. _ Thank you, SEP. _ “We can’t say for certain at this stage, but this condition could be fatal. In his current condition, he’ll only continue to decline, and rapidly.”

His entire world crashed down on him.

“You can’t be serious.” Anger started to fill him. “There has to be something you can do.” He tried to control himself. His reaction to these types of events was usually violent. 

She nodded. “There are methods we can try. We’ll see what we can do. If you’re willing to pay somewhat steep costs, there are several experimental treatments available. But even with treatment, he still might not make it.”

No. He pushed past the doctor and ran to the operating rooms, until he realized he had no idea which one Jack was in. When the doctor caught up with him, he pleaded, “Please, let me see him.”

She sighed. “It’s not visiting hours, but I suppose we can make an exception since you’re immediate family. He’s in room 2B.”

He rushed into Jack’s room. Like the doctor said, he was awake. He sat up on the bed when he saw Gabriel. “Oh. Hi Gabe,” he said, sounding way too normal. As if nothing was out of the ordinary at all.

Gabriel tried to put on a brave face. In the three years since they’d reunited, the familiar hope had started to finally return to Jack’s eyes; if there was anything he didn’t want, it was to be the one that made it fade. It had taken so much to repair his faith in life, and he never wanted to go back to seeing Jack as depressed as he was before. Just be encouraging. Don’t start crying.

“You look scared, Gabe.” _ Shit, he caught me that easily? _ “What did the doctors tell you?”

Say something. Anything. He reached down and put his hand on top of Jack’s. “Don’t worry about that. Fuck what the doctors said. You’ll be fine.” 

“Not that worried.” He said, laying back down. “Been through worse. Just don’t want to stay in this boring ass room.”

“I know, but they don’t get SEP healing here. It’s just to keep them satisfied.” He desperately wished he could believe himself right now. 

But maybe they could fix it. They did mention other treatments, and if anyone could make it through them, it would be Jack. He was the toughest guy Gabriel knew. Not only that, but they’d certainly be willing to give priority treatment to a former diplomat, right? Money wasn’t an issue; they had plenty in their retirement fund. He’d spend all he had and be homeless if it kept Jack alive. Just please let him stay alive. 

Because he has to.

\--

The next few weeks were some of the worst of Gabriel’s life. Jack was released from the hospital two days later. Gabriel had been given several medications and a ton of information that flew completely over his head. Whatever. He had to trust the doctors. 

Even though he could tell Jack was desperately trying to keep things at least somewhat upbeat, there was a looming sense of dread in the house. They both knew his condition wasn’t cured. Neither of them knew what would happen next. It became a topic that neither of them ever mentioned.

They tried to go through life somewhat normally. Jack got dizzy sometimes, and Gabriel was terrified that he was going to collapse again and that it would be permanent this time, but he managed to orient himself. He would pretend to blame Jack for it as a joke; Jack would laugh, but he wouldn’t find it funny at all. It was only to keep Jack at least somewhat content. Even if he had to sacrifice his own well-being.

Unfortunately, Jack’s temporary return to health didn’t last. A few days later, he fell unconscious again, and Gabriel knew it wasn’t safe to let him walk around on his own. Luckily, he had collapsed at home and woken up almost immediately afterwards, but who knows where it could happen next? So, Gabriel would have to stay with him at basically all times, keeping watch to make sure he had someone to catch him if he fell over. Jack joked that he didn’t think he’d need to be in a nursing home this early in life, but all Gabriel could think of was how Jack’s late years might be stolen from him. That familiar dread came back.

He knew Jack didn’t like being coddled like this. It was something that went against his stupid pride. But he had to brush off Jack’s (frequent) complaining, because he knew this was life or death. He still hadn’t told Jack about the prognosis, especially since it only seemed to be getting worse.

A couple weeks after his first hospital visit, he collapsed again, and didn’t wake up immediately. Although it nearly gave Gabriel a heart attack when he fell over, he had still been breathing. Jack didn’t wake up until a few hours after they had arrived at the hospital.

After an agonizing time in the waiting room, the doctor called Gabriel into the hallway; they had made Angela his physician of choice, but she wasn’t always available, so these doctors would act as stand-ins. “We think he should stay here for observation,” the doctor said. Gabriel wasn’t sure who ‘we’ was.

Gabriel sighed. “I think so too, but I don’t know how to convince him of that.”

The doctor gave him a sympathetic smile. It was a nice gesture, but also kind of pissed him off. He knew he was being irrational, but he also knew the doctor would never understand the relationship between him and Jack. “In the end, it’s his choice too. But you should make sure he knows that it’s about his own life.” _ Yeah, he’s been pretty reckless with that in the past, actually. _Gabriel didn’t say that out loud.

Luckily, it happened during visiting hours this time. After the doctor directed him to Jack’s room, he walked inside. He always hated hospitals. The occasional sounds of people in pain made him sick to his stomach, and also reminded him too much of the sounds his previous victims had made. No. No self-pity now. This is about Jack.

When he entered the room, Gabriel gave him a weak smile. “Hey.” He pulled up a chair next to Jack’s bed.

“Ended up here again, huh?” Jack stared at the ceiling. “When am I getting out this time?”

“About that…” Gabriel started. “Me and the doctors think you should stay here for a while.” _ Please don’t fight me about this… _

Jack looked like he wanted to start an argument, but eventually, he simply laid down and sighed. “Fine.” Oh, thank God. “How long will I be stuck in this boring ass place?” He knew that Jack had always constantly wanted to be doing something. He was just that much of a type A. Being this inactive must be making him feel anxious. There were some people that would kill for the opportunity to be this lazy, but Jack was always shit at relaxing. Always had to be on the move, trying to save somebody or make a difference in the world, even in retirement. That’s the kind of spirit you couldn’t take out of someone. 

“Just until you get better,” Gabriel said, trying to be as reassuring as he could.

Jack turned towards him. “When will that be?”

He couldn’t look Jack in the eye and tell him the truth. That he might not get better at all. Even thinking about it made his stomach turn. “Soon.” 

\--

While Jack was deteriorating, Gabriel was as well. He had barely eaten since Jack’s first hospital visit. Since Jack had moved to the hospital full-time, Gabriel felt more able to express his fears at home, which led to quite a few panic attacks. He tried his absolute best not to cry, though. He felt that it was self-pitying, when he wasn’t the one who was really suffering here. When he looked in the mirror, he looked gaunt; he must have lost some weight. His hair was starting to fall out in clumps, too. Must be divine revenge for making fun of Jack’s hairline. No, jokes like that didn’t feel funny anymore.

He barely left the house, except to visit Jack. Sometimes he would go out to get food (that he would make for himself and then throw out without taking more than a few bites), and a few times he had gotten Jack gifts from the store. He felt like a mother hen. It only took 60 years and the most important person in his life getting closer to death to bring out his paternal instinct, he supposed. 

One day, he received a call. He had only told a few people about Jack’s condition, and had since ignored most of their calls; he _ really _didn’t want to talk right now. This time, it was from Ana. He decided to pick up.

“Yeah?” Gabriel said, surprised at how weak and shaky his voice sounded. The only time he really talked nowadays was when he visited Jack, and he tried to sound as brave as he possibly could when he was there. 

“Gabriel, I’m worried about you,” she said. Worried about _ him? _ What kind of priorities would you need to have to make _ him _the main concern here? “I’m coming over.”

“I’m fine,” Gabriel grumbled. He wasn’t at all, but he wanted everyone to go away. “Worry about Jack, not me.”

She sighed. “You’ve barely spoken to anyone in weeks. I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Fine,” he said. “See you then.” He hung up.

He’d have to do some serious cleaning now. He had let the house become a complete mess. Jack was always a much better cleaner than he was, anyway. Gabriel used to joke and say that Jack was his maid. His stomach twisted every time he thought of their familiar teasing. He was too terrified to have fun banter now, except on Jack’s good days. That may be a luxury he never had again.

About ten minutes later, the house looked somewhat presentable. Ana rang the doorbell. When he opened the door, Ana made a shocked expression. “Gabriel, you look terrible,” she said, that familiar maternal concern in her voice.

“Thanks,” Gabriel said, trying to deflect with humor. That never worked on Ana, but he sure as hell was going to try.

“Is he doing badly?” She asked, concern not leaving her tone.

Gabriel had to fight with all of his strength to hold back tears as he said, “He’s having trouble walking. He has some good days and bad days, but in general it looks like he’s getting worse, and their treatments aren’t doing much.” In a burst of rage, he kicked one of the chairs, sending it across the room. “Fucking useless.” 

Ana said nothing for a moment. “It’s hard when all you can do is wait, but I would try to have faith.” She looked away. “I’m scared for him, too, but I’m trying to have as much hope as he does.”

Gabriel scoffed. “Yeah, easy for you to say.”

She shook her head. “It’s not at all. I care about him too, Gabriel. If we lost him..” She didn’t finish the sentence. “Think of it this way. Does he want us to spend our time being broken?”

Gabriel sighed. “No. Already told me that he doesn’t. But I can’t help it.”

“What you need is a positive distraction,” she said. “Instead of sitting around being miserable all day, you should do something productive. It’ll make you feel much better.”

He thought about it for a moment. It wouldn’t fix anything, but Jack wanted him to not be constantly sad and anxious. 

That was how Gabriel ended up spending the next few days touching up the house in various ways. In retirement, there isn’t much in the way of productive work you can do. This was what he had. He painted the living room a brighter blue. It looked a lot more inviting, if he said so himself. He planted some tomato and watermelon seeds, hoping that he’d actually be able to grow something. Maybe he could bring Jack some fresh fruit if he succeeded. If he was still in the hospital by then. _ And not dead. _No, had to distract himself from those thoughts.

All of this felt like he was just deluding himself. When the dread started to get to him, he knew he had to use that as motivation to work harder. Make the place inviting for when Jack came back. He _ will _come back. No matter what. He could never let himself let go of that idea. 

One of his favorite things about his current life was telling Jack about all of the changes. Even though Jack was terrible at decorating things in an attractive way, he always took pride in his house, and especially his lawn. The way Jack seemed to light up at these descriptions, and how genuinely excited he seemed to come home, was enough to make Gabriel’s day better every time. If this was what he’d have to do to keep Jack happy during this hellish time, he’d sure as hell do it for as long as he needed.

“Yeah, I put in a new couch,” he said during one of his visits with Jack. “It’s this badass red color. Looks fucking great with the room.”

“It’s not some edgy shit, is it?” Jack asked, tone showing genuine concern that Gabriel would do that.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “No, I wouldn’t ruin your white picket fence wet dream like that.” 

“Good. Can’t wait to see it.” Jack lay back down in the hospital bed. “Did they tell you when I can get the hell out of here? I’m afraid to ask.”

Gabriel hated this question. All he could do was have faith, like Ana told him. It felt like a lie every single time.

“Soon.”

\--

A few more weeks rolled by, and Jack just kept getting worse. He had reached the point where he was sleeping up to 17 hours per day. Luckily, he had maintained his memory, but several other functions of his brain were clearly starting to decline. Walking wasn’t an option at this point, and it was getting harder for him to stand at all. He had severe headaches; although the doctors offered him pain medication multiple times, he refused to take anything stronger than aspirin, saying he didn’t want to become a ‘zombie’. 

Even the experimental treatments and the medications of last resort weren’t getting anywhere. They might make him feel a little better, but the underlying function of his brain was slipping. 

He might not last much longer.

The bright paint of the house had made Gabriel feel a tiny bit better before, but now it just made him sick. Things that were bright and pretty felt completely inappropriate in such a dark time. He couldn’t stand to look at it. For the parts of the day where he wasn’t with Jack, he spent most of his time in bed, staring at the wall. Those plants he put down were probably dying. It didn’t even feel like it mattered anymore.

But, above all, he refused to cry. This time was for Jack. Not his own self-pity. Jack should be the one crying, but he wasn’t. He kept trying to keep up his optimism, enjoying his interactions with the nurses and doctors that he had started to like. In Gabriel’s mind, Gabriel was pathetic for being upset at all when Jack was the one in pain.

Ana had started visiting more often. At least her visit gave him a reason to get out of bed and look presentable. One day, she was there right after Gabriel had seen Jack, who was having one of his ‘bad days’. 

“So…” Gabriel said, staring at the tea Ana had made for them. He didn’t know what to say, and it seemed that she didn’t, either. What could they even say?

Eventually, Ana came towards him and hugged him. “I’m so sorry.”

Gabriel faced Ana, and desperately tried to hold back tears. He was breathing hard, straining to keep them contained. But finally, after everything, he started crying for the first time. “What can I do without Jack, Ana? Who can I talk to all day? Who’s going to love me?” Once the floodgates opened, there was no stopping it; now, he could barely talk through his own sobbing. “Why is this happening to us?” The volume of his voice started to increase. “I finally get him back, and he’s just going to fucking die? Why? He didn’t do anything to deserve that! Why can’t it be me instead?” 

After a pause, he heard Ana starting to cry, too. “I’m trying to keep having hope, but it seems like he’s not going to make it. I’m going to miss him so much.”

The two stood in that living room and sobbed, trying to find some kind of comfort in each other. But there was no comfort here. Reality was setting in, and it was cruel.

The next day, Gabriel entered Jack’s room. It took Jack a moment to wake up. Gabriel was pretty sure he couldn’t even sit up anymore. “Hey, Gabe. How’s the house looking today?” His speech was slightly slower than it should be. It must be a bit of a struggle for him to talk.

“Great. Can’t wait for you to see it.” Gabriel had already teared up.

He chuckled. “You better not be making this shit up to make me feel better.” Fuck, Gabriel started to cry again. He tried to turn away so Jack couldn’t see it, but it was too late. Jack put his hand on Gabriel’s cheek. “Haven’t seen you cry in a long-ass time.”

Gabriel tried to laugh, but he felt like he was choking on it. “Didn’t have to point it out, you know.”

Jack was silent for a few moments as he took Gabriel’s hand. They rested their hands on the side of Jack’s bed. “Gabe?” Gabriel looked him in the eyes, those sweet blue eyes that had made him want to protect Jack from the moment he met him. “I’m not gonna get better, am I?”

Gabriel couldn’t admit it aloud, so all he could do was shake his head.

“Been thinking about it a lot. Guess I’m ready to go.” Jack sighed.

Gabriel gripped Jack’s hand tighter. “No, Jack. You have to keep trying. You can’t--”

Jack let go of his hand, reached up, and put his finger on Gabriel’s lips. “Gabe, you’ve gotta promise you’ll stay strong without me. Know you can do it.”

Gabriel grabbed onto Jack’s hand, as if he was trying to get away. “I can’t do that, Jack! I can’t live without you. Please, stay…”

Jack gave him a weak smile. “You’ve gotta keep going. You’re tough. You’ll make it, even if I’m not there. That’ll be my dying wish.”

Gabriel was crying even harder than he had yesterday. “What’s the point of living without you, Jack?”

“Do it for me, then. Cause I love you. And you made my life happy. Nobody else I would’ve rather spent it with.” 

Gabriel tried to smile at him, but he couldn’t manage it. “I love you too.” He had never said it enough. Now he might not ever get the chance to again.

Jack smiled at him. With those words, Jack’s eyes slowly closed, and he fell asleep, with Gabriel sobbing next to him, head in his hands.

He didn’t wake up.

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the song "Soon You'll Get Better" by Taylor Swift: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMoW5G5LU08


End file.
